Colors of the Rainbow
by Fallen Hprses
Summary: New chapter, and I've decided the genre! Anyways, a cliche story (real world--CT world) but much, much different.
1. School and Spells

Hey! First of all, I don't own Chrono Trigger, its characters, blah de blah blah. I do own Marissa, Tsunami, Jelena, and the plot.  
  
WARNING: Some may find a certain belief system in here offensive. If that's the case, don't read it. You can flame me if you want. I'll even put it up. I find flames amusing. But I truly think that anyone who is willing to listen won't find it offensive. Anyway, enjoy Colors of the Rainbow.  
  
"Very good, Elsa!" I cheered as the blonde nine-year-old sent the softball soaring above everyone's heads. I watched her slide to third base and frowned.  
  
"You know perfectly well you're not to do that, you know!" Elsa shot me a sheepish smile as she stood up, her pale blue jeans and pink daisy shirt covered in green grass stains.  
  
"Sorry Ms. B!" she said automatically, her voice edged with impishness. I chuckled.  
  
"Alright Sam, you're up!" I called. A short, chubby boy stepped up to the carpet sample that was used as a base. I threw him a soft pitch, and with a crack of the bat, he set out running to first base. He groaned as another boy, Robin, caught his ball easily, and Sam tore back to home, trying not to get an out for his team. I chuckled again and glanced at my watch.  
  
"Okay kids! Pick up, and we'll head back to class." My students complained and grumbled, but complied.  
  
I shivered a bit as I entered the air-conditioned classroom. I was still getting used to the over-use of the technology here, even after seven years. The natural heat of the warmer seasons was something I preferred. I had grown up without such luxuries.  
  
So, guys," I said, clapping my hands together. "Time for a bit of history." I paused. "So who here knows their Greek mythology?"  
  
Nobody answered, but they were all watching me intently. I continued, unfazed. "The king of the gods was Zeus. He tended to.... get close with other women, if you know what I'm saying." There were chuckles. "And that's pretty ironic, seeing as his wife, Hera, was the goddess of marriage. Zeus's brothers were Poseidon and Hades. Poseidon was the god of water and horses. He could be extremely cruel and unfair. Hades was the king of the underworld, where souls went after death. He wasn't the god of death, like some thought he was. He just kept control of where they lived. Oh, and he was the god of wealth. Hermes was one of the only gods who could pass through the underworld, and so guided the souls to the underworld." I paused again. "Ah. Hermes is definitely one of my favorite gods. He was very witty, and he liked humans. He was the messenger of the gods, god of speed, writing, livestock, travelers, and roads." I opened my mouth to continue, but the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. The children scrambled out of the room before I could even wish them a good day. I sighed, and began cleaning up after them.  
  
Most people would consider me blessed. I had a nice house, a boyfriend who cared about me, and twenty-three children. I laughed with them, cried with them, and made them wiser. I taught them openness, taught them inner strength, taught them tolerance. I got to see these children mature over a year, got to see them absorbing what I taught them. Then the end of the year came, they left me, I cried a bit, but a new group came, their eyes bright and willing to learn.  
  
But I still had a secret life. Students wondered why a couple times a month I would come in with dark rings around my eyes. They would ask what was wrong and I would make up feeble excuses. They didn't realize I was spell casting.  
  
Every new moon and full moon I did rituals at midnight; to honor my goddess. The Lady and Lord filled my life with so much warmth. They filled the emptiness in my life. They taught me to see the inner beauty in others. They taught me the rule of life. Harm none. They taught me that divine force was everywhere, and we only had to learn to channel it. Spells.  
  
It took me a year and a day to learn enough, learn about the great Lady and the Lord. My closest friend, Tsunami, initiated me into the Craft, but left her coven soon after, feeling she preferred to work alone. Almost alone. We worked together.  
  
Tsunami Inaroshi is a mellow girl. We met when we were seven, and Tsu told me of her religion at nine. At twelve, I underwent the training required, and at thirteen, became officially Wiccan. She was extremely supportive. She's always like that. The support that holds up the building. The shoulder to cry on.  
  
Tsunami has an adopted daughter, Marissa, who balances out her mother with her hyper-ness. She's truly an old soul, filled with wisdom one can't acquire in just one lifetime. She's a bit of a cynic at times, always one to point out the irony, but still very cheerful.  
  
I was snapped out of my thoughts by, in fact, Marissa herself. She grinned at me.  
  
"Hey, Aunt Len. Mom wanted me to invite you for dinner tonight." She sat on a desk; her silvery-blonde locks falling into her face. She tossed them back. "D'ya wanna come?"  
  
"Sure," I answered. "Haven't seen your mother in a couple days. Tell her I'll be over at.... what time?" She shrugged, that always-casual-I-don't- give-a-shit look about her.  
  
"Five, probably." She paused. "Can you tell me a good place to get a nice cauldron? I can't find any." I grinned.  
  
"You wanna know a secret, 'Ris?"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"A big one?"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"Your mother's cauldron is actually a fancy office-sized trash can." Marissa stared at me for a second, then burst out laughing.  
  
"A trash can? A trash can?" she kept repeating. I rolled my eyes as I ushered her out the door.  
  
"Yes, Marissa, a trash can. Bye now, I have work to do." She didn't resist, and I shut the door behind her. I returned to my cleaning, a large pile of blue glitter.  
  
"You know what?" I muttered to myself. "I'll let the janitor get it for once." With that, I picked up my purse and walked out the door.  
  
"Jelena!" My sworn sister greeted me with a smile. I smiled back.  
  
"Hello, Tsu. Listen, I've been thinking about aura-reading lately," I started as we walked inside. My new white sneakers made little squeaky noises on her hardwood floor. She nodded, amusement tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Do you think we should teach 'Ris how?"  
  
"Teach me what?" my niece asked, appearing out of nowhere. I jumped slightly. The fourteen-year old walked very softly, and you had to strain to hear her most of the time. "What?"  
  
I looked to her mother for guidance. She looked back at me with something equivalent to a shrug in her eyes.  
  
"We're going to teach you to start reading auras tonight, Marissa," Tsu answered. The green-eyed girl squealed in excitement.  
  
"No way!" Tsu flipped her black hair over her shoulder.  
  
"You're experienced enough in the way of the Craft, I should think." Marissa smiled at her mother's compliment.  
  
"Can we skip dinner and go straight to aura reading?" she joked. Tsunami shrugged.  
  
"It's fine with me, if it's fine with Len." I nodded.  
  
"Of course. It's better then Tsu's cooking," I said, dodging a swat aimed at my head. "You know I'm kidding."  
  
We proceeded to gather supplies. Sandalwood incense, two white taper candles, salt for the Lord, water for the Lady, a wooden pentacle. We set these all on a small table in the middle of the living room.  
  
"You know," I mused aloud, fingering the worn wooden thing. "It's funny that people believe these to be evil." I paused. "It represents good. Air, water, fire, earth, and spirit."  
  
"And spirit is at the top," Marissa pointed out. "The representation of all good. People mistake these for inverted pentagrams, the symbol of their Satan." Tsu smiled at her adopted daughter, pleased.  
  
"Very good, sweetie," she said in a motherly fashion. "You've been doing your work." Marissa rolled her eyes, as though annoyed, but couldn't stop the pleased smile that came.  
  
I lit the candles and the incense, and plopped down in front of our completed altar. Marissa sat down next to me a bit more daintily, and Tsu sighed for some reason as she sat.  
  
"Take a quick cleansing first, 'Ris," I instructed. She shut her eyes obediently, and I could feel the serene, unexplainable happiness wash over her like water, as all her stress was thrown away.  
  
She opened her forest-green eyes, centered and focused on her goal.  
  
"Now just look at your hand. Sort of look for outlines from it. It could be in your mind's eye, or it could be in a physical sense."  
  
"But don't stare at it. Just sorta gaze at it," I added. She nodded, and laid her hand on the altar. I felt her completely absorbed in this. I flipped on a sort of switch in my mind, and saw her aura. It was full of pale blues, bright greens, and cheery yellows. But there was the smallest sliver of black. She was hiding something.  
  
"Oh shit, Tsunami," I whispered to her. "Look at her aura!"  
  
"I know!" She paused. "Do you think we should confront her about it?"  
  
"No," I decided. "It's just a little secret. If it gets bigger, then yes. But she is entitled to a few secrets." Tsu nodded, though she didn't look completely convinced.  
  
"I see something!" Marissa gasped. "I really see something."  
  
"And?" Tsu asked. "What do you see?"  
  
"It's sorta like an off-yellow light," she answered. I grinned.  
  
"There's other colors too. But for starters, you're likely only to see one, light color." She nodded. "Try the pentagram."  
  
"The pentagram?" she asked. "Why?"  
  
"Everything has an aura, excluding space itself," Tsu answered. She nodded.  
  
I tossed in my bed again. Who the hell kept bugging me?  
  
I shut my eyes, and images flashed through my mind. A scythe.  
  
Glasses.  
  
A bandana.  
  
A pendant.  
  
A medal.  
  
Wires.  
  
Animal skins.  
  
An egg.  
  
I opened my eyes again. "Damn it all!"  
  
You like? I know it's kind of cliché. But really, I think I've added a nice aspect to it. Can you figure out what all the images stand for? First one who guesses gets...... a magical smoothie!  
  
Still, no sign of the CT characters yet. There should be soon. Maybe.  
  
Enough of my insane ramblings. Please, leave me a review. Please? 


	2. Scars and Sadness

. . . . .come on fhqwhgads, come on fhqwhgads. Everybody to the limit, the cheat's to the limit-oh! Sorry. Anyone who's been to homestarrunner.com knows this song. Stuck in my head.  
  
I'd like to thank my one reviewer (ahem). Glad you like it. Here, have a smoothie. Anyways, on to my chappie!  
  
I blinked sleepily, confused.  
  
"Len? What's wrong?" What would she be doing here in the middle of the night on a Sunday?  
  
"Can I come in?" she asked nervously, and glanced over her shoulder. "Please?"  
  
I nodded, and backed away from the open door. "Yeah. Sure, of course."  
  
I led her into the kitchen, and flipped on the light. I gaped at what I failed to notice in the lack of light.  
  
Jelena had a long cut from right under her right eye, across her nose, right to below her left ear. It oozed dark blood.  
  
"Holy shit, Len!" I nearly screamed as I scrambled to a cabinet for antiseptic. "What the hell happened?"  
  
She just smiled gravely at me.  
  
"Len, come on. What happened?" I pleaded as I scrambled over with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball mass. I picked one up, and she stared at it suspiciously.  
  
"It's just water," I lied. She nodded, and allowed me to press it to her face, but promptly shrieked and jumped back. I rolled my eyes.  
  
"You are such a wimp. Unless you want me to drive you to the hospital and make a really big deal out of it, you had better get back on this stool, let me finish, and tell me what happened!" She nodded again, and obeyed.  
  
"Well, Tsu," she began, her voice so quiet I could barely hear her. "You know I'm not clumsy enough to do this. Mike went a little . . . . . . .mad . . . . "  
  
I dropped the cotton ball I was holding. "iMikei did this? Wh-wh- why?"  
  
"We were at his apartment after dinner, and he got a little. . . .tired of waiting."  
  
I stared at her, shocked. Mike was her fiancé of seven months. Jelena was a firm believer in abstinence, and we all knew Mike was a bit anxious, but I never, ever thought he would resort to something like that.  
  
"He tried to. . . . " I couldn't finish what I was saying. She nodded.  
  
"I knew I wouldn't be safe at home, so I came here." She stopped, and a wild look came into her eyes. "I've gotta get away from here. He'll find me. I gotta get far, far away. . . ."  
  
"Shhhhh...." I said, spreading a coat of clear wound sealer over her gash. "You'll spend the night here, and we'll figure out what to do in the morning.  
  
The tears finally began falling.  
  
"I can't believe he would do this," she choked. I embraced her and stroked her hair, making soft shushing noises.  
  
". . . . . . . .I should have seen the signs," she continued. "He kept bugging me about it. But I didn't think he was violent. He's a doctor, for Pete's sake!"  
  
She kept on in this vein until she had no more tears. She looked up from my soaked shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry, Tsu. You don't need this right now. . . . . ." she sighed. I shook my head.  
  
"No, no Len," I assured her. "What are sisters for?"  
  
And with that, I led her to the guest bedroom. I was exhausted, and she must have been even more than I was.  
  
I woke up in the morning to find Mom and Aunt Len in the family room, talking about something serious. They both looked horrible, like they had been awake all night.  
  
"I don't know, that might be a bit extreme-oh! Hi sweetie," my mother greeted me. I blinked.  
  
"Hold on. Aunt Len, whatcha doin' over this early? It's only seven!"  
  
"I spent the night," she answered, in a tone that clearly indicated she didn't want to talk about it. I nodded, and gasped as I spotted a long angry scar on her face.  
  
"Wh-what happened, Aunt Len?" She opened her mouth to say something about how I was too young, or it was too complicated to understand.  
  
"I have a right to know," I stopped her. "I'm your equal in everything else, but when something important comes up, I'm cast aside because I'm 'too young'!"  
  
Aunt Len and Mom looked a little ashamed. Finally my auntie spoke.  
  
"Last night, Mike made an attempt on me that didn't go well."  
  
My eyes widened as this sunk in, and I was filled with a blinding rage.  
  
"I"LL KILL THAT BASTARD! HE"LL WISH HE HAD NEVER BEEN BORN! I"LL-"  
  
"Melissa, calm down!" I think I heard my mother say. I continued my rant anyways.  
  
"-AND SHOVE IT DOWN HIS THROAT!" They both winced at that.  
  
"IF I SEE HIM EVER, EVER AGAIN I'LL PUT MY FOOT UP HIS ASS SO FAR IT'LL COME OUTTA HIS NOSE!" I finished, with my mother and my aunt staring at me.  
  
"It's too bad you're too big to go over my knee, Mel, because that is not something to say in front of me."  
  
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?"  
  
I blushed. "Um, yeah, sorry. Anyways, what were you guys talking about before I came in?"  
  
". . . . . . an escape spell," Aunt Len said quietly. "It isn't safe for me here anymore."  
  
My eyes stretched until they felt like saucers. "To where?"  
  
"Where he or his friends can't find me. And seeing as how he's friends with seemingly every doctor, I think I'll have to go pretty far."  
  
"We'll see you often though, right?" I said, hopefully, but I knew I was being naïve.  
  
"Honestly, Mel, it's doubtful I'll ever see you two again," she barely whispered.  
  
Surprisingly, I didn't start crying. I smiled weakly.  
  
"I want to help," I said decisively. She nodded.  
  
"Right. Of course you can. Your mother will."  
  
And with that fake smile on my face, I turned to get ready for school.  
  
"You're not going to school today," my mother said as soon as I thought about it, as though I had said it out loud. I nodded, but left to get ready for the day nevertheless.  
  
I glanced at my sworn sister. She had tears running down her face, similar to the way they ran down mine.  
  
"I still might see you again," I said hopefully. She shook her head.  
  
"Don't get my hopes up, Jelena," she said sorrowfully. I flinched.  
  
"It's all my fault," I whispered. Tsu looked up at me.  
  
"How? How is it your fault you have to leave?" she asked, almost angrily. I shifted on the overstuffed couch we sat on.  
  
". . . . . I was the one who agreed to marry Mike. I was the one who insisted on abstaining. I was the one who got myself into trouble with him, and I was the one who chose to run here and be a coward."  
  
"How was that cowardice?" she demanded, eyes flaring. I couldn't believe we were arguing over this, but I never backed down in an argument.  
  
"I could have stayed at home, and waited for him to come for me, and dealt with the confrontation!"  
  
"That wouldn't have been ibraveryi Jelena, it would have been stupidity!" she yelled, her face slightly flushed. "You have such a hero- complex, don't you?!? You always take the blame, never accept it might have not been YOUR FAULT!"  
  
"HERO?" I cried. "HERO? DO YOU THINK THERE ARE HEROS ANYMORE, TSU? THEY ALL DIED OUT A LONG, LONG TIME AGO, LIKE THE BELIEF IN MAGIC. YOU'RE SO NAÏVE, YOU CAN'T EVEN ACCEPT THE FACT THAT HUMANITY ISN'T PERFECT AND SOMEONE WILL COME AND SAVE THE DAY! THERE ARE NO HEROS, AND I'M DEFINITELY NOT ONE!"  
  
"HOW ARE YOU NOT? YOU'VE TAKEN HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN UNDER YOUR WING AND TAUGHT THEM GOLD, JELENA! YOU'VE TAKEN CARE OF HURT ANIMALS SINCE THE AGE OF SIX! YOU RAISED ENOUGH MONEY TO SAVE YOUR MOTHER FROM CANCER JUST FROM BABY-SITTING AND SMALL DONATIONS! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO TOLD ME THAT EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE BORN TO SOMEONE IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE THEIR CHILD! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO CONVINCED ME TO ADOPT INSTEAD OF TAKING ALL OF THE RESPONSIBILITES OF AN INFANT ON AT AGE NINETEEN! DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE NOT A HERO, JELENA B'KOLV!"  
  
I slumped back on the couch. I hadn't even realized I had stood up.  
  
"I don't wanna fight right now," I said quietly. "I'm going to be leaving soon. I don't want to be this the last thing I remember of us. Fighting. We never fight."  
  
She fell down next to me. "You're right. What was that all about?" We giggled.  
  
"What was all the yelling about?" Melissa asked, appearing out of nowhere again, wearing shorts and a tank top that said 'Stop whining; that's my job'. She had plaited her hair tightly.  
  
"Miss Len here doesn't think she's a hero," she said cockily, now that Melissa was here. Her adopted daughter raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh, really?" She smirked at me. What was going on?  
  
"Aunt Len, do you remember the time Mom was in Chicago for a business meeting, and you were taking care of me?" I nodded slowly, and she continued. "And I was going for my overnight trip to L.A?" I nodded again. "But Mom had forgotten to give me the check so I could go. I spent the morning of when I was supposed to leave with my class bawling. You finally got me to tell you what happened, paid the seventy-five bucks without hesitating, and even chased down the bus so I could go."  
  
She beamed at me, and I started blushing heavily.  
  
"And that other time when Mom was sick, you were all mother-like on us, flittering around like a little bird. She got better quick, though, 'cuz of you. . . . ."  
  
"And what about when I had just adopted Melissa, and you gave me the information on dealing with nine-year-olds. Oh, speaking of that, your mother has said you were an angel child, always helping out with your siblings and chores."  
  
"So, what just are you trying to say?" I demanded. They grinned.  
  
"You're a hero, hon!" they chirped in unison. I blushed again, and stood up. I hated being embarrassed. I mean, nobody likes it, but. . . . . .  
  
"Kay, well, I'ma go take a shower and clean up," I said quickly, and that was the end of that.  
  
After my shower, dressing( white sneakers, flares, and a tank with a kitty on it), I had to struggle with my hair. It was very thick, and knotty. I had a lot of my own things here, just in case, like my brush. The head broke off from it, and it was solid wood.  
  
I just grumbled as I disentangled it from my hair, and all of my other knots as well. I left it down to dry, and left the bathroom.  
  
Spell casting time neared.  
  
I have never been so unwilling to cast magic in my life. Never. But I know it's for the greater good. It's going to help Len, so why am I so. . . . . .reluctant?  
  
I'm being selfish. But Jelena is the closest, best friend I'll ever have. I know her as well as the back of my hand. And the front of my hand. And every single vein that runs through my hand, every single drop of blood that runs through my hand. She knows me just as well, if not better.  
  
Jelena and I met when I was seven. I had just moved from Minnesota to Lodi, and the changes in atmosphere were almost too much to bear.  
  
She lived across the street from me. The first time I saw her, she was wading in a small pool in her yard. She saw me, sitting on the steps, and jogged over, looking at me curiously.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, not at all shyly.  
  
"Tsunami Inaroshi," I answered. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Jelena B'kolv," she announced, grinning widely, and revealing two missing front teeth. I noticed the large white slash-like mark across her torso, but said nothing.  
  
After that, our friendship bonded.  
  
Melissa was in the room again, putting me out of my thoughts. I was used to her silent walking, but it was still creepy at times.  
  
"Mom," she whispered, and we understood each others' thoughts. I hugged her tightly. Why did today have to be so sorrowful?  
  
"I have to go back to my house," Len said suddenly, sticking her head into the living room. "To get things I might need for. . . . . wherever I might end up."  
  
I jumped up immediately. "You think you're going there alone?"  
  
"I have to," she said quietly. "It's something I need to do alone."  
  
I could understand. Closure. It's what I wanted from Mark.  
  
"Hm," I said thoughtfully. They both looked at me curiously. "What is it with men whose names starts with 'M'?"  
  
Okay. So a bit longer this time. Anyways, I couldn't find a decent place to stop it, so I did it there. Sorry it took so long to update, our telephone was down and I couldn't get it up. Please review? Let me know that someone's reading my story!  
  
Another reason I took so long is I came up with an answer to the Schala question. I'm very proud, it's very original.  
  
Thanks! Love and peace! 


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